Glassy polymer nanodroplets are fabricated via the Matrix Assisted Pulsed
Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique using short deposition times. At longer
deposition times, the nanodroplets act as nanoscale building blocks, forming
nanostructured bulk films with thickness on the order of microns. These
nanostructured glassy films exhibit unique properties, including 40{\%}
reduced density along with a 40K increase in the glass transition
temperature compared with glasses prepared by cooling from the liquid state.
Indirect experimental study of the thermal properties of the nanoscale
features has indicated that the stability of the bulk film may be a result
of the nanostructure. Here, we directly measure the properties of the
nanoscale building blocks and connect the results to observations about the
global film properties. Heated atomic force microscopy is used to measure
the volume of individual nanodroplets as they are heated in situ.
MAPLE-deposited droplets exhibit large excess volumes and enhanced thermal
stability compared with similarly-sized droplets prepared from polymer
nanoparticles. We discuss this behavior in the context of the MAPLE process
of nanodroplet formation.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2014.MAR.S20.15